Displaced Iraqi Christians Fearful of Returning Home Even After ISIS Is Defeated, Says Christian Aid Worker
ICC Note: It has been over two years since Christians fled Mosul and surrounding regions due to the invasion of the Islamic State. Now with the coalition offensive working to reclaim the Christian homelands, the question remains if people will return. Some have held onto their house keys since leaving in hopes of return while others claim they will never again feel safe in Mosul or Nineveh. The offensive has already liberated at least two Christian towns in their advance. The whole operation is expected to last at least two months.
While Iraqi-led forces continue to press forward in pursuit of reclaiming Mosul and pushing the Islamic State out of Iraq’s second largest city, forces to the East besieged Qaraqosh on Tuesday, a town located 20 miles Southeast of Mosul that was once home to Iraq’s largest Christian community.
Before IS rose to power in the Nineveh Province in 2014, the town of Qaraqosh and its surrounding areas were home to about 50,000 Iraqi Christians, totaling about one-quarter of the nation’s Christian population, before they were forced to flee to Kurdistan or leave the country in fear of being killed or persecuted for their faith.
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Brewer said that since many of the displaced victims have lived for two years in cramped-up tents in camps with open sewage, limited electricity, no air conditioning, hot summers and cold winter nights, many of the displaced Christians he has talked can’t wait to go home. However, he added that others never want to go back.
On Wednesday, Brewer met with over 200 Christian families from Qaraqosh during his visit to the Debaga refugee camp. On Thursday, Brewer said he will visit a refugee camp with over 500 families from Qaraqosh.
“I talked to some people who say they never want to go back to Mosul,” Brewer explained. “The food is scarce and cost prohibitive for most people. I also talked to a lot of Christians who do want to go back to their homes.”
“My guess would be that when this offensive is over, that many of the Christians from Qaraqosh will want to go home,” he continued. “In fact, some of them even carried their house keys on a key ring. I asked them, ‘What is that for?’ They said, ‘That is a reminder of a hope that we can someday go home.'”
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